Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

H. W. HUEFPELMAN. OAR COUPLING No. 552,642. Patented Jan. 7, 1896.

iillillFlliHHilll! 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

. H. W. HUEPFELMAN.

GAR COUPLING.

Patented Jan. 7, 1896.

, III/JIIIIII/ ANDREW BGRIHAM. FHGTOUTNDVWASNINGTON, DC

NlTED ATENT OFFICE.

HENRY \V. IIUEFFELMAN, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,642, dated January '7, 1896.

Application filed August 1, 1895. Serial No. 557,869. (No model.)

To 60% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY 1V. II EFFEL- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county ofMontgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Couplers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in car-couplings of the type generally known as the J anney coup ling.

My improvements have reference to the following several features, to wit: the pin for locking the knuckle in coupled position and a pawl or trigger carried by the pin and engaging the draw-head and arranged to support the pin in unlocked position and to be struck by the inner arm of the knuckle after the latter passes behind the pin to disengage the pawl or trigger and drop the pin to lock the knuckle; to an inclined surface on the draw-head to set the pawl or trigger back to supporting position; toa spring-actuated lever for swinging the knuckle from coupled to uncoupled position; to an arrangement of ca ble or chains to lift the locking-pin either from the ground or from the top of a box-car, and to certain details hereinafter referred to.

In the accompanying drawings, on which like reference letters and figures indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is an end view of a boX-car with my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a car, also showing my improvements; Fig. 3, side, plan, and sectional views of a fo0t-bar carried by the chain or cable; Fig. 4, side and plan views of the casin g for the sheave for the cable or chain; Fig. l, side and plan views of the clip for the cable; Fig. 5, a vertical sectional view on the line 00a of Fig. 6, showing the knuckle locked 6, a plan view showing the knuckle in the same position; Fig. 7 detail perspective views showing the shoulders on the ears of the head and on the knuckle; Fig. 8, a cross vertical sectional view on the line yy of Fig. 6; Fig. 9, a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 5, showing the knuckle in locked position; Fig. 10, a similar view to Fig. 9, showing a modification in the pawl or trigger and tends through a clip H and has a handle I at its end, while near the top of the car a footpiece J is attached to the cable. This footpiece consists of a barbent in the form shown in Fig. 3, the "two parts being connected by a projection K from one of them passing through the other and having a cotter-pin L. Thus the cable or chain is clamped in the eye M thus formed. On putting the foot on the foot-piece J and pressing down, the lockingpin can be lifted by a brakeman on the top of the cars. He may sit down and do this.

.VVhen standing on the ground, he takes hold of the handle I. The foot-piece L also forms a stop, as well as the handle I, to prevent the cable or chain drawing out, whereby if the a! coupling should become broken those parts attached to the locking-pin D would be sus pended and not allowed to fall to the road bed and endanger the train.

The casing F of the sheave is composed of two parts 0 and P, as shown in Fig. 4, each having a bearing Q for the sheave-shaft.

Referring'now to Sheet 2 it will be seen that I construct the draw-bar of a shank 2 and a head 3. One side of the head has a horn 4 and the other side a horn 5, which latter is bifurcated or cut out so as to leave two ears 6 and 7, between which cars is placed the body 8 of the buckle having an inner locking-arm 9 and an outer coupling-arm 10. The latter has a coupling-pin hole 11 for the usual or ordinary link to be coupled with the knuckle.

This arm is also cut away as shown at 12 to receive the common link in this case. It will a shoulder 17 and the knuckle a shoulder 18 which comes against the latter when the knuckle is in unlocked position, the shoulders 17 and 18 limiting the outward swing of the knuckle. These shoulders on the car are inclined as shown at 19, and the shoulders on the knuckle are inclined as shown at 20, which is preferable. Thus when the knuckle is in locked position the blows received will be resisted by the shoulders 13, 14, and 16, the pin-hole in the knuckle being slightly elongated, as seen at 21 in Fig. 6, to allow of sufficient play on the pin for the shoulders to make contact, and likewise sufficient play to relieve the pin of the main pulling strain with a knuckle-arm provided with a hook or proj ection g, engaging in a recess h of the head.

I will now refer to the means for locking the knuckle in coupled position. This consists of the pin B, already referred to, which is fitted to vertical openings in the head and fashioned with an inclined surface 6. (Sh own in Figs. 5, 8 and 11.) To the pin is hingeda pawl or trigger 0 adapted to rest upon a lug d projecting from the head. Thus the pin is suspended in unlocked position, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 8 and 9. \Vhen the knuckle is engaged by an opposing knuckle of another coupling the arm 9 swings in and pushes the pawl or trigger back off of a lug 01. At this instant the arm 9 is behind the pin B, when the pin drops down in front of the arm 9 and thus opposes the arm and prevents it from swinging out,which I term looking the knuckle. Now when the knuckle is to be unlocked the pin B is lifted home or until it clears the arm 9, when the arm swings out by the means presently to be described. As the pin is raised to unlock the arm 9, the pawl or latch c engages with the inclined surface 6 on the draw-head and is thereby swung forward over the arm 9, on which it then rests, supporting the pin and allowing the arm 9 to swing out, when the pawl or trigger drops down upon the lug d, and thereby holds the pin in position for the next lockin g operation.

The inclined surface Z2 is used in a case of emergency, as should the pin happen to drop down to its lowest position by the accidental dislodgment of the pawl or trigger from the lug L, say by a blow of some othercar. Thus this incline avoids the necessity of raising the pin manually before being able to effect a coupling operation.

I will now refer to the means for maintaining the knuckle in coupling position and for swinging it to such position should occasion require it by reason of any tampering with it since it was last uncoupled from an opposing knuckle. This means consists of a lever 19 pivoted at 20 and having at one end a stud 21 engaging with the rear side of the arm 9 and at the other end with a lug 22. A curved rod 23 passes through the lug 22 and is secured at its ends to the shank 24. of the draw-bar. Stops 25 limit the movement of the lever 19.

A recess 26 in the side wall of the head receives the stud 21 so as to give room for the arm 9 when in locked position. This lever constantly tends to swing to the position shown in Fig. 9 and hence maintains the knuckle in the position there shown or returns it to that position, ready to be coupled with another knuckle, should it have been reloeked or its position otherwise changed since the last time the knuckle of another coupling disengaged itself from it.

In Fig. 10 the form of the pawl or trigger c is changed to the shape shown and the upper surface of the lug d is inclined as shown at d to prevent the pawl or trigger from being thrown off of the lug by the jar incident to coupling.

Thus it will be seen that by my improvements I provide a ear-coupling wherein the locking-pin automatically yields to the incoming arm of the knuckle, allows such arm to pass by it, then drops down and crosses such arm, and which pin is equipped with a sustaining pawl or trigger which automatically assumes engagement with the head so as to support the pin in unlocking position, whereby it will not drop .down after being lifted, but will stand out of the way and permit the knuckle to swing out. It will also be seen that aside from the tendency of the uncoupling action to swing the knuckle out I have provided an automatic means for that purpose, which means normally holds the knuckle in position to be engaged by the incoming knuckle of another coupling, at which time such means yield and allow the knuckle to swing in and become locked.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Ina car coupling, the combination with the draw-head having pin-holes and inclined shoulders 13 and 15, on the ear, of a knuckle pivoted thereto by a pin fitting said holes, the pin-hole in the knuckle being elongated to afford slightly independent movement, and inclined shoulders 1-1 and 16 on the knuckle.

2. In a car coupling, the combination with the draw-head and a knuckle pivoted therein, of a locking pin for the knuckle having an inclined surface and a horizontally swinging pawl or trigger adapted to engage and disengage with the head, or knuckle, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a car coupling, the combination with the head and a knuckle pivoted therein, of a vertical pin mounted in openings in the head of a pin carried by the head and having a pivoted pawl or trigger, a projection and an inclined surface on the head, the projection to support the pin by supporting the pawl or trigger, and the incline on the head to throw the trigger over the projection, the knuckle being adapted to disengage the pawl or trigger from the projection.

5. In a car coupling, a locking pin having an inclined surface and a horizontally swinging pawl or trigger pivoted thereto for the purpose described.

6. In a car coupling, the combination with the draw-head having vertical openings, a projection and an inclined surface, of a looking pin fitted to said opening and a pivoted pawl or trigger carried by the pin and adapted to support the pin by resting on the projection and to be forced over the projection by the inclined surface on the head.

7. In a car coupling, the combination with the car, its coupling consisting of a draw head, a knuckle and a locking pin, of a chain or cable connected with the locking pin, a sheave to support the chain or cable, a footpiece thereon near the top of the car, a hand piece within reach from the ground, and a guide near the hand-piece.

8. In a car coupling, the combination with a locking-pin, of a cable or chain connected thereto, a sheave near the top of the car to support the cable or chain and a foot-piece attached thereto and adapted to be operated by the foot of a brakeman on the car top.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY IV. HUEFFELMAN,

Witnesses:

ROBT. WALLACE, E. E. COMPTON. 

